Power operated golf shoe cleaner



Jan. 4, 1966 L. H. LEONARD 3,225,750

POWER OPERATED GOLF SHOE CLEANER Filed May 4, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTOR 4101 0 A4 ZU/VAPD BY W/W Jan. 4, 1966 1.. H. LEONARD POWEROPERATED GOLF SHOE CLEANER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 4, 1964 mm m w mmMM M I W U 2 q Nm N E I. 0 Q\\ I o W i A /HHI M NQ/ a Y B 8 N \N mm anQM QN\ w Mm Q Q Q m N\\ N WQNNN Q\ n. N..m\

Jan. 4, 1966 L. H. LEONARD 3,226,750

POWER OPERATED GOLF SHOE CLEANER Filed May 4, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 /2/Z I 5 54 5a 6 6 54 H4 H6 Era. 3.

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INVENTOR. 4401 0 h. 460M420 United States Patent 3,226,750 POWEROPERATED GOLF SHOE CLEANER Lloyd H. Leonard, 14877 Valley Vista Blvd,

. Sherman Oaks, Calif. Filed May4, 1964, Ser. No. 364,651 1 Claim. (Cl.1536) This invention relates to a power operated cleaner for cleatedshoes and primarily for golf shoes, although it can be used for othertypes of cleated shoes such as those used in football and track, andfield events, and even for shoes having no cleats, if desired.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a power operatedcleaner of the type mentioned above wherein a rotary brush is driven bysome suitable power means, such as an electric motor, and whereinsuitable means is provided for catching andholding the refuse removedfrom the shoes, and also protecting the motor against dirt, blades ofgrass, and other refuse.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe cleaner wherein thecleats, the bottoms of the shoe soles, and their edges, areeifectivelycleaned.

A further object of the invention is to provide a compact power operatedrotary brush cleaner in which the rotary brush has a reducedintermediateportion and enlarged end portions, in combination with a refuse receiverhaving a portion positioned close to the bristles of the brush andgenerally following the axial profile of the brush.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shoe cleaner whereinthe casing which carries the brush and motor is located close to theground or floor, and a control for the motor. is conveniently extendedupwardly for ease of actuation by the user. i

The above and other objects will more fully appear from the followingdescription in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspectiveview of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 33 of FIG. 2;i

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 4-4 of FIG.2; and j FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail partially in section, takenapproximately on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3,

The device includes a casing 6 having side walls 8 and 10. The forwardportion of each side wall is provided with a flange 12 which is suitablysecured to a cross member 14 supported by front legs 15. Supportedbetween the rear portions of the side walls 8 and 10, is a motor housing16 secured between flanges 18 extending inwardly from each side wall.Said flanges 18 may be separate flanges or form continuations of theflanges 12 at the forward portions of the casing. Suitable bolts 20secure the motor housing 16 to said flanges of flange portions 18.

The lower forward portion of the casing has a baflle 22 carried thereby,said baflle curving downwardly and rearwardly as at 22A, and secured tothe flanges 12'by bolts 24, as shown in FIG. 3.

The rear portion of the casing 6 may be suitably supported by a singleleg 26 secured to a strap 28 which extends between and is secured. tothe rearward flange portions 18 by bolts or self-threading screws 30.

Opposite forward portions of the side walls 8 and are provided withaligned apertures 32, each of which receives a portion of a bearingretainer 34. Each hearing retainer is provided with fiangedportions 36.Bolts 38 connect the flanged portions 36 to the respective side walls 8and 10. Carried by the bearing retainers 34 are suitable bearings,generally indicated at 40, and said bearings rotatably support a brushshaft 42 on each end of which is a thrust cap 44 held by a set screw 46.Upon the shaft 42 is a rotary brush, indicated generally at 48. Thebrush includes amedial axial spindle 50 having radial bristles 52extending therefrom. At each end of the spindle 50 are discs 54 whosefacing surfaces 56 have axial bristles 58 extending therefrom. Thoseportions of the shaft extending outwardly of the brush discs 54 areprovided with threads 60 having nuts 62 by means of which the brushdiscs 54 can be drawn up tightly against the ends of the medial brushreel 50 to clamp them together and also to secure the entire brushassembly on the shaft 42. As best shown in FIG.- 3, the right hand brushflange 54 is provided with a tapered circumferential groove 64 toreceive a drive belt 66 froma motor to be described below.

Extending through and upwardly from an angle bracket 14A is arm 68 heldby a set screw 70 threaded into the angle bracket 14A. The medialrearward portion of the bathe portion 22A is provided with a cutout 71to afford access to the set screw 71). The rod 6% extends vertically toa point adjacent the brush shaft 42, as shown in FIG. 2, and then curvesforwardly over the'medial brush spindle 50 in spaced relation theretoand beneath the outer ends of the medial brush bristles 52. Said rod 68then extends forwardly and downwardly as at 68A,

'. and has a downward forward end 6813 which extends through the baffle22 and is held by a through bolt and nut 72 secured to the inner side ofthe curved bathe portion 22A. The portion of the rod 68 which curvesover the spindle 56 serves to engage the underside of the shoe sole andhold the ends of the cleats of the shoe out of contact with the lowerends of the bristles 52 and the surface of the medial brush spindle 50.

In the rear portion of the casing 6, and also in the motor housing 16,is an electric motor 74 supported by a U- bracket 76, as shown in FIG.2, to be suitably secured as by bolts to the inner upper portion of themotor housing 16, the motor 74 being swingable relative to the bracket76 about the axis of a bolt 78 which connects the motor to the bracket76. Secured to the motor 74 is an angle bracket 80 which has one end ofa tension spring 82 secured thereto, the other end of the spring beingconnected to an anchor clip 8-4 belted to the inside of the motorhousing 16. This tends to swing the motor about the axis 73 in arearward direction to apply tension to a drive belt 66 which extendsbetween a pulley 88 on i a motor shaft 90 and the groove 64 of the righthand brush disc 54.

Located between the motor housing 16 and the rotary brush 43, is arefuse receiver 92 which is provided with side walls 94 having outwardlydisposed upper flanges 96, the latter resting on upwardly disposedcushion feet 98 which are attached to the flanges 12 of the casing sidemembers 8 and 10. A cushion 99 on the forward upper flange of the motorhousing 16 bears against the rear wall 102 of the refuse container 92.

The refuse container 22 has a bottom and a rear wall 102, said rearwall, together with the motor housing 16, constituting an effective endclosure for the motor 1 74 to prevent dirt and other refuse fromreaching it.

shown in FIG. 2, extends upwardly to a point not quite as high as thebrush shaft 42. The upper edge 106 of the front wall 104 terminatesclosely adjacent the medial brush bristles 52 and low side portions 108have their outer surfaces closely adjacent the ends of the axiallyinwardly extending bristles 58 on the discs 54. The side walls 94 havearcuate forward edges 110 which lie close to and radially outwardly ofthe bristles 58 on the brush discs 54 so that the entire forward portionof the refuse receptacle 92 closely follows the axial profile of therotary brush 48, said profile being shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

The refuse container 92 is not secured in any manner to the remainder ofthe structure, so that it can be readily lifted upwardly out of the maincasing 6 to dispose of refuse collected therein.

An auxiliary refuse collector and/ or battle unit is indicated at 112.As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is generally of triangular shape whenviewed from the side, it being provided with triangular side walls 114and a rear wall 116. The rear wall curves forwardly as at 118 and thefront portion of the auxiliary receiver 112 is open at the front. Abaffle plate 120 has its forward edge secured across the upper rearportion of the main refuse receptacle 92, the lower portions of thetriangular side walls 114 being secured by screws or rivets 122 todownwardly disposed flanges 124 at the outer edges of the horizontalflanges 96 on the main refuse receptacle 92. This battle 120 preventsrefuse from working into the motor housing 16 between the forward edgesof said housing and the rear wall 102 of the main refuse receptacle 92.

Mounted on the casing side wall 10 is a switch 126 electricallyconnected by wires 128 to the brush driving motor 74, said motor havinga power supply cord 13%, shown in FIG. 1. The switch 126 is providedwith an actuator pin 132 which extends into the bottom of a tubularswitch actuator wand 134 from the switch 126, the lower end of which isconnected to the casing side wall 10 by suitable straps 136. Mounted forvertical reciprocation in the tubular wand 134 is a switch actuator rod138 having a switch actuator foot 140 on its lower end, said foot beinglocated in a guide cup 142 suitably secured by a pin 144 which extendsthrough the foot 140 and the lower end of the actuator rod 138.

The upper end of the actuator rod 138 extends through an apertured cup146 having a compression spring 148 therein, the lower end of the springbears against the bottom of the cup 146, and its upper end against anactuator button 150 secured to the upper end of the rod 138. The cup 146is flanged at 152 to support it in the tubular actuator wand 134.

When one presses the actuator button 150, the motor 74 is energized, andthrough the belt 66, rotates the rotary brush 43, the shoe 154 beingplaced in the brush as indicated in FIG. 3. As shown in this figure, theradial bristles 52 clean the soles of the shoes and the spikes 156, andthe axial bristles 58 clean the sides of the sole and the shoe. Ofcourse, the foot can be moved so that the radial bristles 52 will cleanthe toe portions of the shoe and sole, and the heel of the shoe can beplaced in the brush in approximately the same position shown in FIG. 3.

It will be seen that I have provided a shoe cleaner particularly adaptedfor cleaning cleated sport shoes, wherein the brush and its drivingmotor are separated by the refuse receiving pan, and the pan is soconstructed that it will completely protect the motor against dirt andother refuse from the shoe and brush, and at the same time, the refusecontainer can be readily removed and emptied. The brush structure issimple and effective and is so constructed that either the spindle orone or both of the disc-like brush elements can be replaced by removingeither of the nuts 62 from brush shaft 42. Furthermore, the spikes 156are held from contact with the medial brush spindle 50. Also, the motoractuator wand 134 supports the actuator button 150 conveniently so thatit can be manipulated by the user in a standing position.

It will of course be understood that various changes can be made in theform, details, arrangement and pro portions of the various parts,without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

In a shoe cleaner, a casing, a rotary brush having means for supportingit for rotation in said casing, an electrical motor in said casingspaced from said brush, drive means operatively connecting said motor tosaid brush to rotate the latter, a refuse receiver positioned in saidcasing between said brush and said motor, said refuse receiver having aportion thereof comprising a motor protecting refuse shield between saidbrush and said motor, said refuse receiver having a first upstandingwall generally parallel to the rotational axis of said brush andpositioned adjacent said brush, said wall being of less height than theaxial profile of the brush, and said motor protecting refuse shieldcomprising a second upstanding refuse receiver wall opposite to saidfirst wall and defining, with a portion of said casing, a motorenclosure.

References (Zited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 367,129 7/1887Bean 15-36 443,179 12/1890 Palmer 15-38 X 2,544,862 3/1951 Steibel 15-492,718,020 9/1955 Homme 15-36 3,060,475 10/1962 Dufault 15-36 3,069,71012/1962 Drernel et a1. 15-36 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,323,751 3/1963 France.

21,005 8/1910 Great Britain.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT L. BLEUTGE, Assistant Examiner,

